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Interview with William Bullock
William Bullock was born in Marshfield in Gloucestershire in September 1916 and joined the Royal Air Force as an apprentice in 1932. He was posted to Egypt for training - after serving in the Middle East he joined Bomber Command as an engineer. After…
Interview with Geoffrey Lenthall
Geoffrey Lenthall was born in Nottinghamshire but spent most of his youth in Scunthorpe. He happily volunteered for aircrew but found himself working as ground personnel. He eventually trained as a wireless operator and was posted to 9 Squadron. He…
Grace and Ken Rhodes - War History
A description of their time during the war by their daughter. Her father joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in September 1940. He was captured by the Japanese in Singapore, 1942. He was released on 12 September 1945 and came home on…
Interview with John Bagg
John Bagg worked as a clerk before joining the Royal Air Force at the age of twenty. He was trained as an Instrument Mechanic before remustering and completing a specialist camera course. He went on to serve on several training stations. After the…
Interview with Frank Tolley
Frank Tolley was born in 1921 in Tipton and left school at fourteen to work as an errand boy for a grocer. He joined the Royal Air Force at nineteen as a ground gunner, and was in at the inception of the Royal Air Force Regiment. After eighteen…
Interview with Bessie Birkby
Bessie Birkby grew up in Sheffield and volunteered for the Women’s Auxilliary Air Force in 1942. She first worked in Balloon Command in Scotland and then trained to be a driver in North Wales. She was then posted to 625 Squadron at RAF Binbrook but…
Interview with Fred Logan
Fred joined the Royal Air Force in Sheffield on 4th December 1940 and was accepted as a direct entry fitter. He went to the training school in Hednesford, where he was taught about engines, and was then posted on Stirlings to 7 Squadron. From RAF…
Interview with Betty Greenwood
Betty Greenwood was born in 1926 in Belton, Lancashire; she attended Princess Mary high school was and privately educated in Paris but returned due to the threat of war. At sixteen she was offered various jobs but decided to join the Royal Observer…
Interview with Margaret Habberfield
Margaret Habberfield was born in 1923. At sixteen she joined the Royal Air Force after giving her age as eighteen. She began her six-week general training at Harrogate and was billeted with around 20 other girls. Margaret was then posted to RAF…
Interview with Sylvia Trapp
Sylvia was born in Mansfield where her father was a miner and her mother had worked at Lawns Mills. She had two brothers and a sister. Sylvia was 15 when she left school to work at the hosiery mills and recalls the German manager being deported. She…
WAR - Frankfurt Revisited
A booklet with information about the progress of the war. This edition covers RAF Bomber Command activities.
Special Order of the Day by Air Chief Marshall Sir A.T. Harris
Message from Arthur Harris to all Bomber Command Personnel.
Arthur's Armament Mechanics course notes
Notes were written and drawn by Arthur during his Armament Mechanics course at RAF Hereford.
WAAF Association Christmas card
On the front a squad of women wearing kilts, jackets and beret. Leader carries a RAF ensign. Inside seasons greetings from the WAAF Association.
WAAF Association Christmas card
On the front women in Women's Auxiliary Air Force uniform and others with kilts and jackets around a shield with air force symbol and other text. On the inside seasons greetings from the WAAF Association.
WAAF Association Christmas card
On the front artwork with a group of Women's Auxiliary Air Force members watching a four engine bomber flying past over a control tower. On the inside season's greetings from the WAAF Association.
WAAF Association Christmas card
On the front artwork showing at bottom two elderly ladies on a sofa with coffee table and Christmas tree. Thinking bubbles lead upwards to a crowd of women in uniform round a piano. On the inside left a WAAF Association badge and text 'Our thanks go…
WAAF Association Christmas card
On the front coloured artwork depicting a group wearing Women's Auxiliary Air Force uniform with a number of large white sacks, One woman second from left is reading a letter. In the background a railway porter and other people. Captioned 'WAAF…
Letter to his wife from Herbert Gray
![EGrayHMGray[Wi]440715.pdf](https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/square_thumbnails/107/1045/EGrayHMGray[Wi]440715.jpg "EGrayHMGray[Wi]440715.pdf")
Expresses concern over regularity of wife’s letters and length of time that letters take to get through. Mentions that they might not be able to depart on leave until Tuesday as the might be on operations Monday night. Recounts that planned 13th…
Letter to his wife from Herbert Gray
![EGrayHMGray[Wi]440806.pdf](https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/square_thumbnails/107/1047/EGrayHMGray[Wi]440806.jpg "EGrayHMGray[Wi]440806.pdf")
Starts with complaint that phone calls from wife are replacing letters which he does not like, but did enjoy hearing his wife’s voice. Letter is then a long explanation of why he cannot answer her last letter as it is in his locker at the squadron…
WAAF Association Christmas card
On the front artwork showing women dressed in various uniform including cooks round a kitchen table covered with cakes and utensils, Text 'Merry Christmas. Signed Betty M Turner. On the inside top text 'Our thanks go to member Betty Turner for…
We were only just beginning to enjoy our teenage years
A poem sent to Betty Turner's friend Billy to celebrate their 80th. Betty describes the wartime hardships she endured, hint at the bereavement after the loss of the men she loved, stresses the sense of duty toward her country, friendship and…
This is why I joined the RAF
A poem written in December 1942 after her first love was shot down over France. After his death Betty resolved to join the Royal Air Force and became a wireless operator. According to a note, she later found out that some of what she wrote down went…
Was it all a Dream
Bill Bailey's wartime memoirs, from enlistment, training in UK and Canada and detail of each of 31 operation in Bomber Command. After completion of his tour he was transferred to Lossiemouth to train Free French aircrew. After successful progress he…
Bill Thomas memoir
He describes his first interest in the RAF, in 1938. He joined the Air Defence Cadet Corps, and later in 1941 the Air Training Corps. He was called up by the RAF in February 1942, and proceeded through initial training and the Initial Training Wing…